Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton isn’t coming back on the field in 2019. Panthers announced on Tuesday that they have placed Newton on injured reserve, which means he will miss the rest of the season.
Newton hasn’t played football since Week 2 game due to foot injury. The 30-year-old signal-caller was initially expected to miss a couple of weeks, but the rehab process didn’t go as planned.
“For the past seven weeks, Cam has diligently followed a program of rest and rehab and still is experiencing pain in his foot,” said Panthers’ general manager Marty Hurney. “He saw two-foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue that path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal.”
“At this time, we have decided that the best decision to reach the goal of bringing the foot back to 100 percent is to place Cam on injured reserve,” he added.
With Newton out, his replacement Kyle Allen, who came as an undrafted free agent in 2018, will have a chance to finish what has been an impressive season for him. Since being named a starter in Week 3, Allen led Carolina to 4-1 record and showed great potential. So far, he has 1,059 passing yards, seven TDs, and three interceptions.
Allen’s good performances and Cam Newton’s continued injury struggles might lead to Carolina Panthers have a discussion on their quarterback of the future.
Newton, who also prematurely ended the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury, currently has one year left on his deal, which will pay him $19.1 million in 2020. However, this money isn’t guaranteed, so the Panthers would end up having to swallow just $2 million of dead money if they release him.
